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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. craft — boats
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. lean — to bend
  7. tube — a container
  8. track — a path
  9. cold — an illness
  10. craft — a skill
  11. foot — a measure
  12. cold — not warm
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pass — a permit
  15. track — a song
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bass — low music
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. track — to keep track
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. lean — thin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com